Patients who participated in a prehabilitation protocol for total knee arthroplasty experienced shorter length of stay and better discharge disposition, according to results published in The Annals of Translational Medicine.

Michael M. Mont MD, and colleagues compared length of stay and discharge disposition to home, home with health aide or skilled nursing facility among 476 patients undergoing TKA who either did (n=114) or did not (n=362) participate in a prehabilitation program. The prehabilitation program included exercises, nutritional advice, education regarding home safety and reducing medical risks, and pain management skills prior to surgery.

Results showed a significantly shorter average length of stay, as well as a more favorable discharge disposition status, in the prehabilitation group compared with the control group. Researchers found 77.2% of patients in the prehabilitation group went home without assistance vs. 42.8% of patients in the control group. Discharge to a skilled nursing facility was also significantly lower in the prehabilitation group, according to results.

“Face-to-face prehabilitation is an effective way to improve surgical outcomes, but it is administratively challenging and expensive,” Mont told Healio.com/Orthopedics. “[Artificial intelligence] AI-based systems, like PeerWell PreHab that automate patient optimization using data, are effective at improving outcomes and reducing costs without adding to the administrative load.”

Disclosures: Mont reports he is a board or committee member for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons; is a paid consultant for Cymedica, DJ Orthopaedics, Johnson & Johnson, Ongoing Care Solutions, Orthosensor, Pacira, Peerwell, Performance Dynamics Inc., Sage, Stryker and TissueGene; receives research support from DJ Orthopaedics, Johnson & Johnson, the NIH, Ongoing Care Solutions, Orthosensor, Stryker and TissueGene; is on the editorial of governing board for Journal of Arthroplasty, Journal of Knee Surgery, Orthopedics and Surgical Techniques International; receives IP royalties from Microport and Stryker; and has stock or stock options in Peerwell. Please see the full study for a list of all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.